I am looking forward to some good Lenten movie viewing! Are you? In the past we have watched a combination of straightforward religious films such as:
The Robe (1953)
Franco Zeffirelli’s Jesus of Nazareth (1977)
and, of course, Ben Hur (1959) on Good Friday/Holy Saturday.
We also watch movies with a general theme of sacrifice, such as:
Cool Hand Luke (1967)
Chariots of Fire (1981)
Shane (1953)
and The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance (1962)
I have been trying to come up with some new ideas: Sling Blade (1996)?
Star Trek: The Wrath of Khan (1982)?
Buffy, season 5?
This is harder than you think. Just google “films about sacrifice” and see what you get! Titanic! And, no, you will not find me watching Son of God (2014) with the “hot” Jesus, put together by those people responsible for the unwatchable “The Bible” TV miniseries.
Suggestions please!
*Cool Hand Luke, screenplay by Don Pearce and Frank Pierson
“All the absurd little meetings, decisions, inner skirmishes that go to make up our days. It all adds up to very little, and yet it all adds up to very much. Our days are full of nonsense, and yet not, because it is precisely into the nonsense of our days that God speaks to us words of great significance – not words that are written in the stars but words that are written into the raw stuff and nonsense of our days, which are not nonsense just because God speaks into the midst of them. And the words that he says, to each of us differently, are “Be brave…be merciful…feed my lambs…press on toward the goal.”
-Frederick Buechner, Secrets in the Dark
Lent begins today on Ash Wednesday. There is a traditional Ash Wednesday service going on somewhere near you. At our church, we have two services today, but neither time works for me. So I think I’ll go to a Noon service near work. If I do, then I will wipe my forehead off. If there’s one thing I can’t stand it’s pretentious Ash Wednesday worshippers.
No brownie points for the Veep.
When my children were younger and lived at home, I tried to make them aware of Lent. We watched our Lenten movies and discussed them. These efforts were a hit.
Once I put a lot of bible verses in a bowl on the dining room table. Each night one of the kids would pick one and read it. We would attempt to discuss it during dinner. My family was less comfortable with these efforts on my part. They seemed hokey I guess. I’m glad I tried. Perhaps something sunk in.
Once again I will endeavor to keep a “holy Lent”–not by denying myself things like chocolate or wine but by being more intentional about keeping the Great Commandment. You know, the one about loving the Lord your God with all your heart, soul, mind and strength and your neighbor as yourself.
“Humility is perfect quietness of heart. It is to expect nothing, to wonder at nothing that is done to me, to feel nothing done against me. It is to be at rest when nobody praises me, and when I am blamed or despised. It is to have a blessed home in the Lord, where I can go in and shut the door, and kneel to my Father in secret, and am at peace as in a deep sea of calmness, when all around and above is trouble.”
― Andrew Murray
(1828 – 1917) Murray was a South African writer, teacher, and Dutch Reformed minister.
Are you thinking about giving up something for Lent? Or taking something on? Are you eating pancakes tonight?
During Epiphany at my church we are using Eucharistic Prayer C, which is the one that includes all that jazz about “from the primal elements you brought forth the human race”, not to mention this fragile earth, “our island home.” One wonders if most of our clergy even believe this anymore. Well, I do and so I don’t really mind all this post-modern verbage, although it sounds like something Dr. McCoy would say and not Dr. Cranmer. C’est la vie.
It is appropriate to pray thusly, moreover, having just viewed Gravity, a movie with absolutely no spiritual dimension to it. It is all about science and apparently was not written by Episcopalians**.
I like Sandra Bullock, but she is not believable as a medical doctor on a space station. What is a medical doctor doing walking in space and making technical changes to a space station anyway? It is difficult to imagine Sandra passing her basic training. Of course, none of the men hyperventilate when things go wrong. But when things go badly, she does not know what to do. Being a modern woman, she never even prays. She explains at one point that no one ever “taught her.” Oh please. You know what they say about no atheists in foxholes. There is no one to help her, but luckily an imaginary man comes to her aid and tells her what to do. Thank goodness.
There is a bit of backstory explaining that she is sad because her young daughter has died back on earth and we suppose this is why she is on a space station in the first place. She has no one on earth to keep her there. Why then she tries so hard to get back, I don’t know. Once I had managed to get back to the space station after the initial separation, I would, I think, be happy to make it my comfortable coffin and go to sleep. Especially if I had no one back on earth.
This movie made no sense to me. It was crazily implausible. Please. Why did I watch it?
Meanwhile back at church, I am still getting used to my new pew. The handicapped-accessible space which has displaced several of us caused my friend Mike and me once again to chuckle good-heartedly at our surroundings. Another man suggested Mike try the “other side” and he replied fervently, “Oh, good God, no!” He went on to say that this was the “Republican side” anyway, which really made me chuckle. As if there are enough Republicans in my church to make a “side”! I had never heard that one. He said that was what his father-in-law had always said.
The Olympics are over and I can’t say I care. Too many professionals and not enough American team spirit. I like the American ice dancing pair, the ones that looked like Owen Wilson and a Disney princess. They were exceptional. I enjoyed seeing Bode Miller ski again and win a bronze. I loved watching the Norwegian biathletes masochistically ski for miles at top speed and stop and shoot.
What a great sport!
In other news, I worked in the yard on Saturday as the temperatures soared into the sixties. It was positively warm. I filled up three bags of leaves. (An outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace.)
And the Christmas Amaryllis from my brother’s family continues to put on quite a show.
It is getting cold again, but as we head into March, these over-the-top flowers seem to herald the coming of spring, don’t you think? Have a great week!
The liturgical calendar of the Episcopal Church (USA) remembers Eric Liddell with a feast day on February 22. Isn’t that nice?
You remember Eric Liddell. He was the Scottish athlete and devout Christian, who refused to run in a heat held on Sunday at the 1924 Olympics in Paris and was forced to withdraw from the 100-metres race, his best event. However, he won the 400 metres. They made a movie about him and Harold Abrahams called Chariots of Fire in 1981. Remarkably it won the Best Picture Oscar. (I blogged about it here.) It is one of my favorite movies.
Anyway, I was unaware that we Episcopalians recognize this worthy missionary on our calendar. I can’t say I approve of all the “saints” so celebrated, but I approve of him.
God whose strength bears us up as on mighty wings: We rejoice in remembering your athlete and missionary, Eric Liddell, to whom you gave courage and resolution in contest and in captivity; and we pray that we also may run with endurance the race set before us and persevere in patient witness, until we wear that crown of victory won for us by Jesus our Savior; who with you and the Holy Spirit lives and reigns, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.
–Collect for the day
* Chariots of Fire (1981); screenplay by Colin Welland
St. George window in the Princeton United Methodist Church by Tiffany Studio of New York City
“How should we be able to forget those ancient myths that are at the beginning of all peoples, the myths about dragons that at the last moment turn into princesses; perhaps all the dragons of our lives are princesses who are only waiting to see us once beautiful and brave. Perhaps everything terrible is in its deepest being something helpless that wants help from us.
So you must not be frightened if a sadness rises up before you larger than any you have ever seen; if a restiveness, like light and cloud shadows, passes over your hands and over all you do. You must think that something is happening with you, that life has not forgotten you, that it holds you in its hand; it will not let you fall. Why do you want to shut out of your life any uneasiness, any miseries, or any depressions? For after all, you do not know what work these conditions are doing inside you.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
Alexander fighting dragons, Le livre et la vraye hystoire du bon roy Alixandre, Paris, c. 1420–25
Kunisada dragon
Arthur Rackham
‘St. George and the Dragon’, by Wassily Kandinsky, 1911
‘The Great Red Dragon and the Woman Clothed in Sun’, by William Blake
Talk about dark and dreary–that was our weekend! But it was brightened a whole lot by my Saturday outing to historic Kimmswick for lunch with my good friends.
We dined at the celebrated “Blue Owl” restaurant. Our food was yummy and the company, as always, hilarious. Carla, our intrepid social planner, drove as usual. It is great to be like a child on these outings and just follow along. I mean that. With all my heart.
The boy came over and burned a CD for me. It is the soundtrack to the movie Inside Llewyn Davis.
Yes, that’s Justin Timberlake singing. It is a wonderful CD and I highly recommend it. (Also highly recommended by daughter #1) How can you miss with T. Bone Burnett producing? Well, you can’t.
I have also been listening to the new CD Old Yellow Moon with Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell.
I believe it just won a Grammy in the “Americana” field. What is this field, you ask? I had never heard of it, but it seems to be a category where old singers are put so they can still win Grammys. I am not trying to be harsh but, c’mon, this is a straight on Country album. I think Steve Martin and Edie Brickell were nominated in this field too. Anyway, it is a good album and I especially like their cover of the Kris Kristofferson song “Chase the Feeling” which includes the classic line: “You got loaded again, Ain’t you handsome when you’re high.”
Speaking of music, I heard that my friend Andrew Hunt will be opening for none other than (be still my heart) Dwight Yoakam
in Austin, TX soon. He will not be with his band Johnny Appleseed, but some other guys. Boy, wouldn’t it be great to see that concert? Okay, Dwight may not be the heart-throb he once was, but neither am I.
Saturday night I watched The Commancheros (1961) with John Wayne and Stuart Whitman.
Stuart Whitman (who replaced James Garner, Charlton Heston and several others) and the Duke in that iconic faded red shirt, leather vest and kerchief.
It is the last film directed by one of my favorites, Michael Curtiz (Casablanca and The Adventures of Robin Hood). He was very ill, dying as it turned out, during the filming of it and John Wayne stepped in and actually directed most of the movie. He took no credit for it, of course. Any film from this era of John Wayne westerns is always a winner in my book, especially when you have had it up to here (already) with X-Game sports at the Olympics.
At church on Sunday I was confronted with the fact that they have cut out a section of my pew (fifth row, epistle side) to accommodate oldsters with walkers. Carla had warned me about this, but still it was a bit jarring on Sunday morning. I had to find a new pew, and for oldsters like me, that is not easy! C’est la vie. I’ll live.
The boy and daughter #3 came over for dinner on Sunday night. I made Episcopal souffle, a nice salad and cut up a baguette for dinner. Perfect.
How was your weekend? Have a good week!
*…to love and serve you with gladness and singleness of heart”–BCP
“I think of a person I haven’t seen or thought of for years, and ten minutes later I see her crossing the street. I turn on the radio to hear a voice reading the biblical story of Jael, which is the story that I have spent the morning writing about. A car passes me on the road, and its license plate consists of my wife’s and my initials side by side. When you tell people stories like that, their usual reaction is to laugh. One wonders why.
I believe that people laugh at coincidence as a way of relegating it to the realm of the absurd and of therefore not having to take seriously the possibility that there is a lot more going on in our lives than we either know or care to know. Who can say what it is that’s going on? But I suspect that part of it, anyway, is that every once and so often we hear a whisper from the wings that goes something like this: “You’ve turned up in the right place at the right time. You’re doing fine. Don’t ever think that you’ve been forgotten.”
–Frederick Buechner, Wishful Thinking
A couple of weeks ago I was preparing to make a special report in a weekly meeting I attend at work. Doing this always makes me very nervous. I tell myself these people are not scary; they are my peers. It is no big deal. Still, I get nervous. I have trained myself not to ruin the day worrying about things that will take place in the future. Still, I worry.
Then, on the night before this meeting, I turned the page-a-day calendar I have to the next day. The Bible verse was: “For God did not give you a spirit of timidity, but one of power, and of love and of self-control.” My favorite Bible verse from First Timothy! And it couldn’t have been more appropriate. I wasn’t nervous anymore.
I do not believe in coincidence. I believe in the whispering voice saying, “You’re doing fine.”
Have you ever had such an experience? Pay attention and you will see that it happens with some frequency.
“This is a dynamic and mysterious universe and human life is, no doubt, conditioned by imponderables of which we are only dimly aware. People sometimes say, “the strangest coincidence happened.” Coincidences may seem strange, but they are never a result of caprice. They are orderly laws in the spiritual life of man. They affect and influence our lives profoundly. These so-called imponderables are so important that you should become spiritually sensitized to them. Indeed, the more spiritually minded you become the more acute your contact will be with these behind-the-scenes forces. By being alive to them through insight, instruction, and illumination, you can make your way past errors and mistakes on which, were you less spiritually sensitive, you might often stumble.”
― Norman Vincent Peale, Stay Alive All Your Life
* Albert Einstein and also Albert Schweitzer who said, “Coincidence is the pseudonym dear God chooses when he wants to remain incognito.”
“Chaos was the law of nature; Order was the dream of man.”
― Henry Adams, The Education of Henry Adams
For the past 3-4 weeks my routine has been disordered. The holidays will do that.
Sometimes, I admit, it feels like we are adrift in chaos. But I choose to believe I am an individual–created, loved, upheld and placed purposefully, exactly where I am supposed to be. Therefore, it behooves me to get my act together.
So slowly I am getting my house back in order and my daily routine in sinc.
By the way, last night I watched the second episode of Justified (season 5)–Hello, Raylan.
Mostly this weekend was a time for catching up. I had no social plans beyond a birthday lunch with my girlfriends and church on Sunday. We had a baptism and it was good to renounce Satan and all the spiritual forces of wickedness with my brethren. At the end of the service we sang the interminably long but deeply wonderful “St. Patrick’s Breastplate”. Verse 6 always brings tears to my eyes:
Christ be with me,
Christ within me,
Christ behind me,
Christ before me,
Christ beside me,
Christ to win me,
Christ to comfort and restore me,
Christ beneath me,
Christ above me,
Christ in quiet,
Christ in danger,
Christ in hearts of all that love me,
Christ in mouth of friend and stranger.
On the literary front, I finished In the Skin of a Lion by Michael Ondaatje, which daughter #2 had encouraged me to read. I enjoyed it, but it was the kind of book where you are always aware that you are reading “literary” fiction. Not really my cup of tea. Great literature does not hit you over the head with its worthiness. Furthermore, I have to say that while some of the characters are engaging, they are also anarchists/terrorists. So again, how can you really care what happens to them? In point of fact, I didn’t.
I watched two movies–one was a really good one: Oscar and Lucinda (1997), an Australian movie directed by Gillian Armstrong and based on the Booker Award-winning novel by Peter Carey. Boy, I really liked it.
Ralph Fiennes plays an Anglican priest in the mid-18th century who is an obsessive gambler. His reasons for gambling are pure and his Pascalian argument for his legitimate use of it as a Christian, completely righteous. He meets Cate Blanchett, who is a compulsive gambler, on the ship going to Melbourne and they become friends. Lucinda bets Oscar her entire inheritance that he cannot transport a glass church to the Outback safely. Oscar accepts her wager, and this leads “to the events that will change both their lives forever.”
I was so impressed with Ralph Fiennes who plays the innocent and devout minister without the least bit of irony or judgement. He is totally believable and likable. Cate Blanchett is as always intelligent and precise and believable. Both are so good as kindred spirits. Plus there are lots of fine actors in smaller roles. The production is beautiful. The music is by Thomas Newman.
Just a great movie! I will have to read the book now.
I also watched Company (2011)–a filmed version of the Broadway show which won the Tony for Best Musical back in 1971.
I was talking to someone at work awhile back and I said I hadn’t ever seen Company and the next thing I knew he had brought it in for me. He said I’d like it. Well, I finally got around to watching it and I did not like it. Stephen Sondheim’s negative take on marriage and relationships (and women in general) is very cynical and “sophisticated”.
Puff puff. But there is not one likable/relatable character in the bunch. The main character, played by one of my least favorite actors–Neil Patrick Harris–is a jerk. Poor Mr. Sondheim. I feel that he was writing from experience.
On the home front, I took down our outside Christmas lights. It was 60-degrees yesterday so it seemed like the smart thing to do. I was impressed with what a good job the boy did putting them up. I guess he isn’t an Eagle Scout for nothin’!
Golden Globe update: FYI June Squibb is from Vandalia, Illinois. You go, Flyover Girl!
dual personalities 